Circular poultry house



g- 1952 B. M. KOLBER 2,608,178

CIRCULAR POULTRY HOUSE Filed Sept. 4, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 a p U'rwwvTem 1 4 mm/mm M. mwm

Aug. 26, 1952 B. KOLBER 2,503,178

' CIRCULAR POULTRY HOUSE Filed Sept. 4, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 M q Wu J2.

@1 3mm BENJAMIN M. KOLBER.

Patented Aug. 26, 1952 I CIRCULAR POULTRY ouse 1 Benjamin M, Kolber, Lakewood, J Application September 4, 1947, Serial No. 772,028

This invention relates generally to the-class-oi' animal husbandry and pertains particularlyto improvements in shelter houses for animals and more specially to means for performing certain operations in connection with the keeping of stock.

While the present invention is applicable to the raising of difierent kinds of farm stock, it

. is intended primarily for use in connection with the raising of poultry and a principal obj eat of the present invention is to provide a novel means for carrying out the jobs of collecting eggs from the poultry house, replenishing the feed troughs for the various sections of the house and the removal of manure therefrom, Without having to visit each of the various rooms or chambers of the poultry house, whereby it is possible for an attendant to perform these severaljobs from one position or location. I

Another and more specific object of the inven tionis to provide a circular structure having a number of rooms or chambers in each of which a prescribed number of stock is housed, with cir'-' cular, movable units designed to rotate concen trically one with the other and within the circular house, through the several rooms or chambers, to move eggs, feed troughs, and manure through one room or past a prescribed point where the eggs may be removed, the feed troughs refilled and the manure removed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description of thesame" proceeds and the invention 'will be best understood from a consideration of-th'e following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to a strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such 3 Claims. (01. '119 -21') changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the inven-- tion as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of the layout of a poultry house constructed in accordance with the present invention, the'view being in the form of a horizontal section with parts of the structure removed.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, with- Figure 4 is'anenlarged detail view of a portion of the egg collector structure.

Figure-5 is an enlarged detail v ew of the cable connection between one motor and the adjacentrotary unit. 1 V v Accordingto the present system of raising live stock, such as poultry, on a large scale, there are employed a number of small houses, pensor coops built together in a straight row and means is provided for running through the pens or houses lengthwise of the row, a carrier in which-feed is etransported from one pen to the next and, in connection with the raising-of poultry, in which eggs may be collected. This requires that the attendant, each time that the houses are serviced, which, in connection with the feeding of chickens, is three times a day, must traverse the entire length of the structure, going from one house or pen to the next to put out the feed and collect the eggs. r

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a house'of circular form, generally designated H upon the accompanying drawings, and having the outside circular wall in, the floor l2 and roof l3 having a central support He. This structure is divided radially by partitions or walls It thus dividing the structure into a number of compartments or rooms ill for housing the stock and a control and supply compartment or Y neath the nests I! which are, of course, of the type to permit the eggs to pass down, as laid, onto'the top of the conveyor.

' The top of the conveyor is formed in the shape of a shallow trough as indicated at 20 so that the eggs as they pass .downwardly from the nests, willroll' to the center of the conveyor platform 2nd will be prevented from dropping off onto the The underside of the conveyor platform l9 has secured thereto the spacedconcentric tracks 2| which are preferably formed from angle iron material. One flange of such material is secured to the underside of the platform while the other the upwardly and inwardly extending flange 2B and extending across between these flanges to cover the upper part of the corridor, are the spaced guard wires 21 which prevent the chickens getting down into the corridor but do not prevent them from extending their heads down into the feed trough 28.

Disposed within the corridor formed by the two walls is the annularfeed trough, previously referred to and generally designated: 28; feed trough has the sidewalls29'- outwardly diverging slightly asshown and the'top edge of each side wall has the inturned lip;30;which prevents the chickens from spilling the feed. Thisglip at each; side of the trough'lies, beneath an inturned flange 2330f the adjacent corridor Disposed in anam ular arrangement beneath the feed trough structure -is-a number. ofapairs offlanged-wheels or rollers 3| which are peripherallyj grooved .or channeled and which rotatably supportthe feed trough.

-The ,underside of the feed trough has secured thereto the tracks- 32, ,eachof which isin the form .of an annulus and which engages in the peripheral grooves. of the underlying rollers so that the feed trough is supported for free rotation.

Lying outside of the feed trough structure 28 and; spaced therefrom isthe circular orannular flatmanure or droppings conveyor-floor .33 which is' positioned beneath the perches or roosts, l8;

Beneath the floor 33 are rotatably-supported, in

arcircular-series'the pairs of peripherally grooved wheels or rollers 34 and the undersideof the floorhas {secured thereto. the two annular tracks 35 which, as shown, are. preferably made up .of angle iron material like the tracks associated with the feed trough and with the egg collecting conveyor previously described.

It will be" readily. apparent that since the. circular conveyors 19; 28 and 33, are concentrically arranged inthe house, each one will pass through theifeedj room I 6 as well as through each of the stock rooms f5," so that'when. these [conveyors are turned the personattendingftoltheihouse may remain within the feed room and ,coll'e'ct the eggs fromjthe conveyor'l9'asit is rotated and, at the same time may replenishj tlie ,feedf'supply in the.

feedtrough 28-1 Means is"'provicled"for' automatically cleaning offthe manure or droppings conveyor floor 33;

by the provision'of an obliquely disposed scraper blade 36 which is supported in a suitable manner to extend across and contact. the" surface" of the floor adjacent to that radia'l wall" M which separates the feed room 'from the adjacent stock'room' through which'the manure floor moves toward:

the feed'room. v

By disposing the scraper blade 36 at the proper angle the material upon the'fioor will be scra ped up and caused to'move radially outwardly toward a suitable-discharge opening such ior example,

as that designated 3 'l. Thisopeningmaylead" through the floor of the house=and if desired,

This

to a suitable chute arranged so that a carrier of desired form may be run into position to receive the material as it is discharged from the floor 33.

While any suitable means may be employed for rotating the. annular conveyor units, the mechanism here disclosed is preferred as being simple and reliable in operation.

Eachof ,the three annular or rotatable conveyor 'units is either formed, or has mounted thereon means, to provide an encircling V-pulley or pulley groove 38 in which is engaged a pulley belt or cable 39 which encircles the rotatable unit.

Within the feed room It are mounted three pulleys,- eachdisposed adjacent to a rotatable unit and arranged to turn on a vertical axis and the adjacent pulley belt or cable 39 is wrapped or looped around the pulley 40 as illustrated.

Each of the pulleys 40 has operatively coupled therewitha drive motor 4| and suitable means may beiprovided in the formof a switch not shown; or" the likefor controllingthe operationof'these motorsso that the-house attendant-when in. the f eed -rocm"., may start any. one of the motors at will to cause the annular units operat-ively; coupledtherewith toxbe turned.

Fromxthe f0regoingitwill be readily apparent that a livestock; house constructed; in accordance with-the I present invention may be easily taken.

car e-of by oneanan with less-workthan 'is required in taking care of houses of the' t'ypeiwhere. the=units, pens-or--coops,- are constructed to ex tend a straight. line, because of the fact that theattendant v can service all. of the rooms or I claim;

coopswithoutmoving out oi the one feedroom.

withinthe; control compartment, a conveyor exi tending through thecompartments outwardly of fir t: m o ed c e or p -t scor n ed an mm: hemco co p e t e a;

roosts mountedwithin the outer ends of theisaid other tments. a1 dr p n s: floo v yo movable th-rou h the compartments outwardly to'a point. of discharge therefromoutwardly of ,an opening-,intthe outer wall of the control compartment, and means within the control compartmentfor imparting independent turning motions h o veyo s o 2 The-poultryhouseas defined in claim '1, with each of the said; conveyors in; the form of an annular platform mounted on-rail guidedwheels,

the bottoms of the nests, the. platform; otthe second. mentioned conveyor having an annular trough mounted thereon for the feed placed" 1'. In a I poultry housi' including ,a circular of-the second mentioned conveyor-tocatch drop-- ngszfrom the roosts and transport the same 1 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number 15 518,820 46,217

Name Date Pratt Apr. 8, 1913 Swedberg Jan. '4, 1916 Smiley July 19, 1921 Bowker Dec. 12, 1922 Linkenauger Apr. 19, 1932 Ferguson Aug. 8, 1933 Fox Oct. 19, 1937 Schuppner Apr. 16, 1940 Cornell Mar. 23, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany Feb. 23, 1931 Denmark Sept. 19, 1932 

